1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable connector assembly, and particularly to a strain relief of a cable connector assembly with a cable retained therein along a central axis thereof.
2. Description of Prior Art
A strain relief is commonly used for a cable connector assembly to ensure a reliable electrical connection between conductors of a cable of the connector assembly and terminals of a cable end connector when an external force acts on the cable. The external force may be caused by outwardly pulling the cable to separate the cable end connector from a mated electrical connector. The strain relief is integrally injection molded around the cable. With such an arrangement, not only is the ability of the cable for resisting an external force enhanced, but manufacture is also facilitated. The strain relief is dimensioned in proportion to an external force acting thereon and the intensity thereof. Pertinent conventional strain relieves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,494,457, 5,267,882, U.S. Des. Nos. 349,099, 349,100, and Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 80210763 and 83201276.
A conventional strain relief 7 of a cable connector assembly similar to the disclosures of U.S. Des. No. 349,100 and Taiwan Patent Application No. 80210763 is shown in FIG. 1. The strain relief 7 comprises a plurality of central longitudinal members 8 arranged in two arrays and a plurality of parallel tab members 9 interconnecting the central longitudinal members 8. Each central longitudinal member 8 is rectangular and has a height approximately equal to a vertical diameter of a cable 6 rearwardly extending from the connector assembly. To injection mold the strain relief 7 around the cable 6, a mold (not shown) is employed with a cavity defined therein for receiving the cable 6. An injection gate is formed in one side of the mold in a position corresponding to an intersectional portion of the longitudinal member 8 and the tab member 9 at an end of the strain relief 7. The injection gate is adapted to receive a nozzle (not shown) for injecting molten plastic into the mold.
Since the molten plastic is injected into the mold from one side thereof and no effective retention means is provided on the mold, the cable 6 tends to move toward an opposite side of the mold and deforms due to high pressure exerted during injection molding, as shown in FIG. 2. When the molten plastic solidifies, the strain relief 7 is formed with the cable 6 encapsulated therein being offset from a central axis thereof. Thus, the widths of the opposite longitudinal members 8 of the strain relief 7 are different resulting in a poor appearance, as shown in FIG. 3. In addition, the unsymmetrical configuration of the stain relief device 7 exerts an interior stress thereby adversely affecting the function and life span thereof.